A high ranking official in the Palestinian Islamic Hamas movement on Friday denied that a truce agreement will be reached soon between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in Gaza.

Ayman Taha, a Hamas official, clarified that his movement has not yet reached any agreement regarding the truce.

Taha told Xinhua that the Egyptian mediators are making efforts to bring about a ceasefire between the two sides, but any agreement has to be under certain conditions.

Israel must comply with all the agreements and commit to any ceasefire agreement, he said.

Taha also accused Israel of thwarting the Egyptian efforts on reaching a period of calm by continuing the siege and aggression against Gaza.

But well-informed sources predicted that an agreement is going to be reached in the current month.

The sources close to Hamas told Xinhua that representatives from the Islamic movement have informed Egypt their readiness to reach a ceasefire within a defined period, in return for a halt inIsraeli incursions and the lift of Gaza blockade.

The sources said Hamas might declare a halt of rocket launching soon if Israel stops its aggression against Gaza, as a preparation to engage in negotiations to reach a ceasefire and lift the blockade on Gaza.

Earlier in the day, Hamas spokesman Ismail Radwan also denied any immediate announcement of a ceasefire with Israel.

"The reports which said that Hamas would declare soon a ceasefire with the occupation (Israel) are totally untrue because the occupation thwarted the Egyptian efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement," Radwan told reporters.

Israel launched a massive military operation on Gaza in December of 2008, aiming at preventing Gaza militants from firing rockets at southern Israeli communities.

The military campaign lasted for 22 days before Israel and the Palestinian factions in Gaza, mainly the Islamic Hamas, announced unilateral ceasefires respectively.

Since the end of the war, Egypt has been mediating between Israel and Hamas to achieve a long-term ceasefire.

(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2009)